Engine runs when bottle fed but draws no fuel through two different carbs.

[PGB1]

You can make a woodruff key yourself with some patience. Maybe take a little time and go through the snowblower and see what it needs. Maybe it is too worn out, but typically snowblowers have very little hours on them.

Plan A: If you don't feel like shaping a new key, hardware stores often have a good selection of woodruff (and straight) keys. Measure slot length and depth at center, plus measure width to select the new key.

Plan B: Metric & SAE woodruff keys are on line at places like Grainger, McMaster Carr, Zoro (Grainger's lower priced child) & Drill Spot (Grainger's higher priced child).

Plan C: (Fast Repair - Not Sanctioned) Drill through the shaft and piece. Insert a shear pin or weak bolt with a cotter pin retainer instead of the woodruff key. Shear pins are at most hardware stores and all lawn equipment/small engine stores.

Mine's like that because the shaft's slot was bent & mushroomed when the auger hit a chunk of ice. The shaft metal is softer than the key's. It was an outdoors, (-) 17-C day in January temporary fix that I never went back & fixed correctly.

If you absolutely decide that you don't want the machine, I'm sure it will be easy to sell whole "as-is" or parted out on Bonanza or eBay. In the listing, you can make it so the buyer arranges for a shipping company to pick it up so you don't have to mess it.

Snälla njut idag!
Paul

 

[Alan46]

There’s a lot of great information here, thanks, Alan

 

[Cajun power]

Gravity feed. There is good flow in the fuel line before the carb and the bowl does fill up. It has the needle screw in the middle of the nut that fastens the bowl to the carb so I have been checking that there is in fact fuel in the bowl.

Here is something I recently learned from experience working/restoring a vintage 2002 sam's club troybilt "gardenway" riding mower with the B&S 16.5 HP single banger OHV engine. Here was the first things I noticed and replaced/repaired

1. the fuel tank was absolutely filthy and blocked.
2. All the line, and filter was collapsed and blocked, including the shut off valve
3. I cleaned the carb PROPERLY and replaced all the seals and o rings. I even bought a cheap 18 dollar after market nikki carb so I would have extra spare parts and another carb to troubleshoot with.

I still have a rough idling engine, that was far too high in rpm and the choke made no difference. From this I reasoned the engine was running lean...not enough fuel OR a air leaks somewhere after the carb to the engine. I checked all the gaskets after the carb.

I then did a leak down test...that passed...the compression test also passed...(old iron sleeved cylinders still holding great pressure.) Out of abundance and just preventative, I did a complete head cylinder recondition, valve lapping and cleanup and piston cleanup and then proper torque and sequence with a new OEM gasket and then a proper valve clearance/lash.

engine still was idling too high. and choke still made no difference. swapped with the extra carb...no change.

then I removed the exhaust muffler...slight improvement. there was a massive wasp nest inside the muffler blocking it...cleaned that up and reinstalled. stills running hot and idle too high, but at least the exhaust isn't cherry red, just red hot. Not good.

then finally, after all these things, I decide to take the fuel shut off and the fuel filter OUT of the line and run it straight. Voila'...normal operating fuel mixture.

this is a gravity fed fuel system. There is no vacuum or pump to provide fuel pressure. The fuel filter was one of those 150 micron large clear filters. WRONG! the proper and correct filter is a 40 micron red disk filter..this allows proper fuel flow in a gravity fuel system...the wrong fuel filter was causing fuel starvation and running lean. the fuel shutoff was slightly restricted internally due to some weird sort of fuel related "melting" of the plastic materials. It would not fully open when in the fully opened position. So that got replaced also.

engine purrs like a kitten.

also noting: I inspected the flywheel woodruff and keyway to make sure timing key was not borked and I unloaded the drive belts just to make sure there was no hangups. I also checked to make sure the decomp valve was operating normally and that the governor was operating normally. I mentioned these things because it was necessary to go over EVERYTHING. And yes, I changed the oil and the plugs. I set the gap every so slightly just a bit more than oem spec. After 10-20 hours, I plan to reset this back to oem spec. (in older engines that have set for long periods, my thinking it is better to have a rich condition to do another breakin period. and yes, I added a little bit of marvel mystery, but really any 2 cycle engine oil in the fuel will accomplish the same.

I write these things down, not to shotgun a do to list, but to provide an overall idea of what I did to restore and old machine. Finding the root cause of a frustrating lean and rough idling conditions is more or less detective work. You will find the problem if you continue to look for it and test for it. And don't overlook the most simple things, like I did. it was the wrong kind of fuel filter and blockage/damage/defect in the fuel shutoff valve.

the other things I would have done anyway...because that is just preventative maintenance. This engine should last another 20 plus years if I do all the TLC things to maintain it. The body and chassis and deck...well that's a different story. a project to repair rust damage and do some welding and replace spindles, tires, bearings and both sets of transaxle seals and snap rings. A winter project for raining days. Add this one to the other 19 I have in the lineup. To be repaired and resold as restored. good times.